


Blood Ties

by ImaKaraTabiHe



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Family Secrets, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, More characters to be added, More tags to be added, Rating Might Change, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-30 08:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12104277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaKaraTabiHe/pseuds/ImaKaraTabiHe
Summary: Wally West doesn't like going home, but he's never quite questioned if there's a place he'd end up that's worse.





	1. Chapter 1

At 13 years old, Wally had accomplished far more than he ever thought he would. He'd won several awards in science, mastered a second language, and finally, he'd given himself superspeed. He'd made himself into Kid Flash – a hero, partner to the very famous Flash of Central City. Kid Flash saved lives, and that was what kept him going.

Behind his accomplishments, in the shadows of the sunshine he showed to the outside world, Wally West was nothing special. At home, he wasn't quite sure he was anything at all. (Except “trash” - his dad called him that often.)

He thinks his mom still loves him, but he's not sure anymore. Sometimes she'll smile at him, but other times she refuses to look at the way the blood stains his clothing, splatters his freckled cheeks. He misses the old her, the one who used to bake cookies on Fridays for when he got home from school.

He misses the mom who loved him.

Wally's not quite sure when the beatings began exactly. His head had taken a hit, blurring several months of his 6th year. It was sometime around then, he thinks.

Honestly, the searing pain of being electrocuted was something he preferred over the daily beatings he received at home. At least, then he knew he would either wake up with powers or not wake up at all. It didn't matter much.

His mom and dad had feigned distress and concern, but when his aunt and uncle scurried into the room, he'd seen it. They truly cared for him, asking if he was okay, if he _wanted_ anything. His aunt held his hand when his parents went home. His uncle only left his side to get food.

While his uncle hadn't been all too happy about giving himself superspeed, at least it was better than the looks of disgust his parents gave him behind his aunt and uncle's backs. He made himself focus on the new speed, on becoming a hero.

What he'd done was worth it.

Or at least… he'd thought so.

Wally grimaced as he came to a stop in front of his house. He'd walked exceptionally slow today, less than eager to spend summer vacation with them. Out of everyone in his class, he'd looked the most sad when the clock had struck 2:30PM.

School wasn't always the best place, but compared to his house, it was a million speeds better.

Biting his lip, Wally tried to scuttle about, postponing the inevitable. He didn't want to go in. Not yet.

Sighing to himself, he thought, 'Still going to come one way or another…' He heaved his backpack over his shoulder, straightening up, and, with a breeze, he walked up to the door.

“I'm home,” Wally called with a shiver down his back as he stepped inside, slipping his shoes off and out of the way so he didn't make a mess.

“Wally~” his mom called out from the living room. “We're in here. Would you please join us here, darling?”

He wanted to be sick. She only called him darling in front of people she didn't want knowing about how her husband beat his son and drank himself into a stupor at night. Whenever she called him that, Wally knew to be on his best behavior, put on a different kind of act than he showed to everyone else – someone who wasn't interested in superheroes.

With care, he walked into the living room, muscles tensing.

No amount of time with the Team or as Kid Flash was enough to prepare him for the sight that greeted him there.

“Why, hello there, Wallace,” came a voice like a snake, slithering closer before it gripped its fangs around its target came.

Breath caught in his throat, he forced himself to remain still. It was a difficult task to not turn tail and  _flee,_ the Speed Force fought under his skin to be released.

“Answer him, dear,” his mom urged.

He swallowed thickly. “H-hello, Mr. L-Luthor,” Wally stuttered.

This is the last person he ever expected to see in their living room. He sat on the couch, legs crossed with a regal, demanding air about him. “It's a pleasure to meet Mary's… son,” Mr. Luthor said, lips quirking up in a way that reminded Wally of the worst of the worst.

'He is.'

“Yes,” Wally tried to reply. “It's um.. nice to meet you too.” He clutched his book-bag strap to soothe his nerves. “And um… why are you here, exactly?” he couldn't help but question.

“Wally” his mom gasped, shocked.

Mr. Luthor waved it off. “It's quite all right, Mary. I can understand his reaction.” His mom seemed a little appeased. “I'm here, because your mom would like you to spend some time with me over the summer.”

Wally's stomach dropped, and he wasn't sure he'd ever feel hungry again from the amount of fearful nausea he felt.

“She and her husband have decided to take the summer and go on a long awaited vacation, and they've asked me to take you in for the summer,” Mr. Luthor continued to explain. “As I've explained to Mary, I am more than pleased to be able to spend the time with family.”

His eyes shot to his mom and back. “F-family!?” Wally squeaked in disbelief.

“Why, yes, dear. Lex and I are cousins,” his mom said with a proud smile.

_'Shit.'_ He's not sure how this is possible. He's never heard of it before! Maybe it's all some elaborate prank? A bad dream? A new punishment?  _'Please let this be a nightmare.'_

Wally pinches himself. It hurts. He's not dreaming. 'Oh fuck.'

“I'm sure you'll be on your best behavior for Lex while we're gone. Metropolis is a much bigger city so I have no doubt that you'll have lots to do,” his mom said.

“Indeed,” Mr. Luthor agreed. “Plenty of sights to see.”

Wally might just faint then and there.

“Go pack your things, Wally,” his mom told him, clearly ignoring the fact that Wally had _things – important responsibilities known as Kid Flash._ She never liked talking about it, so he shouldn't have been too surprised she was pretending he didn't have a secret life with superpowers. “Run along,” she added, a bit more adamantly when it was apparent Wally wasn't moving very fast.

Wally nodded slowly, his brain stuck in a fog, unable to think clearly. He turned around and made his way up to his room. On his way up, he heard Mr. Luthor call up after him. “I'm looking forward to spending wonderful time with you.”

Fuck, he wasn't.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with a villain.

His mom had rejected all of his requests to call his uncle and aunt to talk to them. She said she'd do it for him, explain that he couldn't visit for a while.

Beneath her words, Wally could tell that she would definitely _not_ be telling them who he was staying with. It was no secret amongst the family that Iris and Barry were big supporters of the Flash. Wally's parents… were far less than that.

If his mom told Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris who he was staying with, there's no doubt that they'd have some very harsh (read “true”) words to say about the matter. Lex Luthor was a criminal. A very public criminal.

Honestly, Wally wasn't really sure how Luthor kept managing to avoid spending the years in jail that he was originally sentenced to. He suspects it has something to do with money and connections. Wally hates corrupt lawmakers.

Fear crept along Wally's skin as he rode in the back of a black limo with Luthor to Metropolis. The reason was looking at his Lex Co. tablet, making some notes and adjustments. Wally was tempted to peek and see if he could see any signs of his criminal activities, but surely, the man wouldn't be doing such things in front of him, right?

“...Wallace?”

Wally grimaced at the name and turned away from the window to look at Luthor. “Yes?”

“You weren't listening, were you?” Luthor said, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“N-no, sir,” Wally replied, feeling the desire to jump out of the car and just _run away._

“That's alright,” Luthor said, putting his tablet aside. “I'm going to be a bit busy for the first several months, so you're going to be primarily on your own. My driver,” he nodded towards the woman in the front, “will be your contact. Should you require anything, feel free to talk to her.”

Wally nodded.

“You can feel free to explore the city, but please, avoid any incidents with the so-called 'Man of Steel',” Luthor noted.

Curiously, Wally couldn't help but question. “Because you don't like him?”

Luthor's lips curved and his eyes darkened. “Not at all, Wallace. We just have a bit of tension between us.”

'You mean because you're a supervillain who somehow managed to avoid jail?' Wally thought bitterly, too afraid to say what he thought out loud. “Okay,” he replied. “I'll do my best.”

“Lovely.” Luthor looked up as the city came into view. “Ah. How about we dine out tonight? I feel like Italian.”

_ Food. _ Wally's stomach rumbled and he couldn't help but blush shamefully. He didn't want to be this open with his emotions. How could he hide his appetite though? This… was going to be a problem.

“I'm going to take this as a 'yes'. Alex will take your things to your room while we eat, and then we can talk about what you're interested in doing for the summer,” Luthor continued, tapping at his tablet.

Wally nodded, eyes drawn out to the city as they passed by. He saw people's heads turn, swivel to see the limo and who was inside. He was grateful the windows were tinted so dark that they couldn't see him, but there was no doubt in his mind that someone would find out. It's hard to keep a secret like this.

“Pull around back, Alex,” Luthor ordered as they slowed down.

“Yes, Mr. Luthor,” Alex replied, driving around the back of the restaurant, avoiding a massive amount of attention.

“Well,” Luthor starts as the door next to him opened, “let's go eat.”

Wally nibbles at his lip nervously, and hurries out after him. He didn't want to admit it, but he is… he is afraid. Not only because this is Lex Luthor, but also because he's  _ Wally West.  _ He's not Kid Flash, partner to Flash, member of the Young Justice Team… He's just an ordinary kid in a situation that is anything but ordinary.

How can he avoid angering this man who's killed people? Who's fought Superman and nearly won before? If he angers him… what will happen to him?  _ How badly will he beat him? _

“Is there something you'd like to eat?”

Wally shakes his head, confused. He wasn't paying attention to what had been going on. When did he sit down at one of the tables. His face turned red. “I- um… Anything's okay, sir. Whatever you like for me to eat.”

Luthor's head tilted for a moment, making Wally freeze. He almost felt the physical sweep of Luthor's eyes over his body as he was being inspected, studied. Had he said something wrong?

“Yes,” Luthor finally said. “How about a pizza?” His attention turned to the menu for a moment before looking up at the waiter. “He'll have a supreme pizza with a cola.”

Wally shivered. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Luthor was ordering him a whole pizza? The world had officially gone insane. He pinched himself, unable to trust whether or not he was awake.

When Luthor mentioned having dessert afterwards, Wally felt like he was in Heaven. It was odd, because this? All of this, was complete and totally insane. He'd never imagined having a meal with one of the most evil men he'd ever saw before. This guy almost toppled the Man of Steel, and here Wally was, just eating with him, about to spend the summer with him.

...There was no way Batman would've ever approved of such a thing.

Uncle Barry wouldn't either though.

However, neither of them knew, and neither of them were going to find out. He didn't want them to look at him with disappoint, didn't want them to see what was really going on behind all the smiles. At the end of the day, Wally was still alive, and that's really all that mattered. He could handle it.

He would handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little short. My computer's acting up(?). Or maybe it's just my head.
> 
> Anyways! Will be writing more soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so... New work. Yeah. I'm a complete and utter idiot with these. I keep starting new works lately when I haven't finished a single one recently.
> 
> This is probably a work that's going to remain unfinished/have slow updates for a while. I need to finish some other works first. Put my back into it, and all that.
> 
> I just got the idea, and I couldn't bring myself to not write anything.


End file.
